IS MARISSA MAYER’S WORK-FROM-HOME BAN REALLY WORKING FOR YAHOO?

We have Donald Trump and many well-known people, to include many women, who are completely supportive of Mayer’s “bold” move. Now claims are being made that the ban is working for Yahoo, but is it really or could other actions have been taken that would truly benefit the whole?

The policy is said to have affected some 200 out of 12,000 Yahoo employees — who used to work full-time from home. I work full-time from home and… as I’d like to better put it, I have 3 full-time jobs (to include my 2 children) and a couple of part-time jobs, but only one full-time job that pays.

Luckily enough I can choose my clients, but nonetheless I still have a boss. I see each of my clients as a boss because I aim to please them with my services. On the same token I have many friends, family and acquaintances that go into an office every single day and spend more time “looking-busy” than actually being productive. My point here is that showing-up to an office doesn’t make you more productive, or productive at all for that matter. Everyone is different.

So, I simply can’t agree with the statement that Mayer’s move serves to eliminate a culture of “blowing off work.” To me leadership isn’t punishing the whole because of the failure of a few; rather it is addressing the specific problem. If there are key people who clearly are not capable of performing their required duties from home, there are two options:
1. That individual should be required to come in to the office to work
or
2. That person should find employment elsewhere.

Clearly the issue needs to be identified in an individual level so that the person is aware that this is specifically about them and that even if they “show-up” to the office that will not suffice; they will need to bring up their productivity. Is this making sense to anyone else? Also, what happened to compromise, why does it have to be all or nothing? There are many successful companies who have their employees come in to the office to participate in the meetings and team building aspects and work-from home on other days. It’s not too complex.

The reason I’m trying to be real clear here is because people work better in different environments, I for one work great from home. I can prepare breakfast, get my kids ready for school, prepare their school lunch, drop them off at school, do work, prepare dinner, continue doing work, pick the kids up from school, and we can sit down as a family for dinner. None of which would be possible if I had to go into an office. Not to mention if one of the kids get sick or something else happens. I’d probably be less productive at work if I had my mind elsewhere, such as at home worrying about my sick child or rushing work rather than doing a thorough job just to make it in time to pick up my children. I know because I’ve tried and this is what works best for me.

For us to be able to make any other work arrangements I would need to be making a LOT more money and I would have to give up seeing my children a LOT more, which many people choose to do. As for me, I haven’t been able to find a job that makes enough money for before school and after school care and that’s worth me compromising the significant moments I’ve been privileged to share with my children who are growing up way too fast.

I get it, Mayer is thinking of what is best for Yahoo because many employees who were working from home were abusing the system. Let me say this, not just to Mayer, but to everyone who tries to find a one-size-fits-all bandage for complex issues, simple solutions to complex issues do not exist. A true leader will do the work required and address each specific issue at hand – end rant.

I also get it, when Mayer says she never wanted to be the feminist poster girl. After all, she shouldn’t have to be, but that doesn’t mean that she should go ahead and throw the other mom’s and women under the bus either!

Why do I feel like she is? Because of the double standards!

She doesn’t work from home you say. She had a short maternity leave you say. Wow, so would many other moms if they had nursery built adjacent to their company office!

How is what she’s doing an example in any which way? It simply shows us that rather than empowering and supporting one another in the fine juggling act of parenthood and career only the privileged prevail.

The morale of the company was said to be terrible before because the company was thought to be dying, let’s just hope something great happens for the future of Yahoo because this decision is definitely not a morale booster of any type. You would have received my letter of resignation as soon as I had finalized arrangements to work elsewhere.

According to the hiring manager, more resumés have been pouring into Yahoo… I guess I’m not the only one to agree that those without children see that there will soon be more job vacancies from those who will be leaving a company who turned their back on them. In the meantime the media will do whatever it can to make Mayer sound like she’s such a trooper for doing what she did and that Yahoo is on its way back up … after all that’s their job.

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